Why does sweat stink?

byThe Beauty Brains

Which makes you stink more: a workout at the gym or a stressful meeting at the office?

The answer lies in understanding that there are two different kinds of sweat. “Regular” sweat comes from the eccrine sweat glands which are activated by physical activity and environmental temperature. “Stress sweat” is produced by secretions from the eccrine and the apocrine gland. Sweat from this gland consists of 80% water and 20% nutrients which means that bacteria will grow more easily. And bacteria are the cause of odor. (Sweat itself doesn’t smell.)

The bottom line is that stress sweat makes you stink more. Here’s a clever infographic animation that explains how this works in greater detail.